Bamboozled by Bamboo

I have written a few times both in this blogand in
the magazine about the deceptive labeling of "bamboo" comforters, clothing, and
other textile products. As I pointed out in the May 2009 issue of Good
Housekeeping, when bamboo is made into a
fiber it's processed like a wood pulp, with the end result being rayon.
Essentially, there's nothing left that resembles natural bamboo. Properties,
such as "antibacterial and hypoallergenic," become meaningless when used to
describe such fabrics. Bamboo may be considered sustainable because it is a
fast-growing plant that requires no pesticides, but the amount of chemicals
used to process it into a viable textile fiber, which are the same as
processing traditional rayon, make it far from "green." In August 2009, several
months after we exposed this deception, the Federal Trade Commission fined some
companies for false labeling of bamboo products and sent a warning out to other
manufacturers/retailers about what can be claimed.

More From Good Housekeeping

So, it was a great surprise when I opened my Company Store
catalog this month and saw that they had made all the claims now proven to be
false as provided by AATCC. The catalog had a
two-page spread featuring bamboo cotton blankets, sheets, towels, and a robe.
This spread had defined copy that said the following: "bamboo the miracle
fiber. It's everything you want in bedding and towels. Soft as silk without the
high cost or care, superior breathability for year-round comfort, extraordinary
absorbency - three times more than cotton, antibacterial and hypoallergenic . .
. ." There is nothing wrong with the
quality of the products (especially from The Company Store which generally has
good quality product), but just be aware that you are purchasing a cotton/rayon
item without any of the special attributes attributed to bamboo.We requested a response from The Company Store about this issue. The Company Store thanked us for bringing this to their attention and will be updating their materials as of the mid-February catalog.